Poetry Friday: #My5thGradeAsHaiku

Hi! I’m not really here right now. I know, it seems like I’m talking to you…but I’ve pre-recorded this message because I’m actually on my way to Springfield, MA this morning for the local NESCBWI conference! (That’s why I’m posting this Thursday night instead of Friday – ssh, don’t tell anyone.)

I’m very excited about this year’s conference – not only because the conference is a wealth of information and networking possibilities, but because I’ll be presenting my first conference workshop this Sunday: “Free Yourself with Free-Verse Poetry.” And the timing couldn’t be better, as I just learned a few days ago that a free verse poem of mine was a runner-up in a national contest sponsored by the Young Adult Review Network!

Now, on to today’s post…

Poet, educator, and blogger Laura Shovan is celebrating a monumental accomplishment this month:  the release of her debut middle grade novel-in-verse, The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary (Wendy Lamb Books), which was just released a couple of weeks ago. Congratulations, Laura!

Part of Laura’s celebration has included a fun little poetry challenge she created for Twitter, called  #My5thGradeAsHaiku. Anyone who wanted to share their memories of 5th grade was invited to write a haiku (well, technically, a senryu, but we won’t split hairs) and post it on Twitter with the #My5thGradeAsHaiku hashtag. And she got a BUNCH of responses!

I wrote one within the first few days of her announcing the challenge – a list poem, of sorts – but I kept thinking about my elementary days and ended up writing a couple more. So here are all three…hope you like them:
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#My5thGradeAsHaiku

Star Wars, soccer games,
Mrs. Day, Mr. Lemire, and…
Tracy in English.
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new thick-rimmed glasses
one more reason to hate me
like they needed one
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another morning
I dread the bus; forced to lie,
I’m too sick to go
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– all poems © 2016 Matt Forrest Esenwine, all rights reserved

As I look back on it, 5th grade really wasn’t much of a hoot for me – but neither was 4th or 6th, for that matter. Ah, well. For today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup, head on over to Buffy’s Blog, where Buffy Silverman is hosting the festivities!

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Irene Latham‘s annual Progressive Poem is almost ready to wrap up! A different writer adds a line each day – and we’ll see how it all turns out tomorrow, with Donna from Mainely Write! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; today, Sheila Renfro is adding her line…be sure to visit and see how the Progressive poem has…progressed!

You can follow the 2015 Progressive Poem at the following blog spots:

April

1 Laura at Writing the World for Kids

2 Joy at Joy Acey

3 Doraine at Dori Reads

4 Diane at Random Noodling

5 Penny at A Penny and Her Jots

6 Carol at Beyond LiteracyLink

7 Liz at Elizabeth Steinglass

8 Janet F. at Live Your Poem

9 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche

10 Pat at Writer on a Horse

11 Buffy at Buffy’s Blog

12 Michelle at Today’s Little Ditty

13 Linda at TeacherDance

14 Jone at Deo Writer

15 Matt at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme

16 Violet at Violet Nesdoly

17 Kim at Flukeprints

18 Irene at Live Your Poem

19 Charles at Charles Waters Poetry

20 Ruth at There is No Such Thing as a Godforsaken Town

21 Jan at Bookseedstudio

22 Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge

23 Ramona at Pleasures from the Page

24 Amy at The Poem Farm

25 Mark at Jackett Writes

26 Renee at No Water River

27 Mary Lee at Poetrepository

28 Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe

29 Sheila at Sheila Renfro

30 Donna at Mainely Write

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